Valletort Consols Lead Mine (United Kingdom)

This mine, previously receiving no attention in the annals of published mining history, was described as laying on a North-South lead lode between Green Valley (or Tamar Valley Silver-Lead Mine) and Tamar Silver-Lead Mines (AKA South Hooe) in 1835.

The agent of the mine, Captain Richard Bennett attended the famous duty test of Austen's Engine of that year at Fowey Consols, and appears to have spiked a deal following this rubbing of shoulders. The mine was selling shares the following year, however 13 months later this expenditure was at an end when the materials - including a new 30" steam-engine by West, together with a capstan and shears, two horse-whims, launders, pitwork, 70 fms. of ladders, tools, timber, etc - were put up for auction.

The location of this venture is not certain, however by a process of deduction can be implied to correspond with a group of workings just north of the Ashen farm house and WNW of the Bere Alston railway station. These workings do indeed lay on the N-S lode that has been worked by the Tamar Valley and Lockbridge Mines, and fall outside of the bounds of the former. It is possible that Valletort could be an earlier working of Lockbridge but this would still leave the identity of these workings unexplained.

This unusual name is actually styled on that of the heir apparent to the Earldom of Mount Edgecumbe, "Viscount Valletort". Both of these are important titles of peerage and regularly appear in general parliamentary histories.

The last mention of this mine was in 1844, when the Mining Journal criticised Deeble Boger (steward to Mt Edgecumbe) for attempting to extract arrears from the lessees of the mine, despite its closure approaching a decade prior. Mining was the occupation of hillbillies in the wild (south) west.